Foster Festival 2016 Annual Report

CORPORATE ANNUAL REPORT | 3
HUMOUR WITH HEART
in the heart of Niagara!
Who We Are
The Foster Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of internationally renowned
Canadian playwright Norm Foster. It is our mission to showcase the heart and humour
of Foster’s writing in a dedicated environment, employing the finest Canadian theatre
practitioners and to foster and support emerging and established Canadian playwrights
interested in stories that are entertaining but also deeply meaningful to and reflective of
our audience.
5000
tickets
125
drama club participants
1500
volunteer hours
As Board Chair, Rosemary Hale wrote
in her welcome message to our 2016
audiences “Borrowing from another
playwright, August Wilson, ‘All you
need in the world is love and laughter.
That’s all anybody needs. To have love
in one hand and laughter in the other.’”
Norm Foster is renowned for his ability
to examine extraordinary moments
in the lives of ordinary Canadians.
Watching a Foster play, you feel
that his characters are people you
really know. It is not an accident that
he is the most beloved and popular
playwright in Canada. His stories are
laugh-out-loud funny while delivering
tremendous heart and depth.
The Foster Festival is the first theatre
festival in Canada to celebrate a living
Canadian playwright’s work. We have
been given the right of first refusal
to produce all future Norm Foster
world premieres. In summer 2016, we
produced our first world premiere,
Foster’s play Halfway to the North
Pole. For our upcoming 2017 season,
we are debuting two Foster world
premieres. As first producers of all
future premieres, The Foster Festival
has established itself as a nationally
significant theatre festival. We are
creating unique experiences for St.
Catharines and Niagara residents and
we are providing a summer cultural
destination for tourists and visitors to
the region. HUMOUR WITH HEART
in the heart of Niagara!
The Foster Festival has become
a committed community partner,
enriching the lives of the citizens
of #OurHomeSTC. We have developed
partnerships with a number
of established charitable organizations
in St. Catharines including
The Kristen French Child Advocacy
Centre of Niagara, Rodman Hall, Boys
and Girls Club of Niagara, and the
Niagara Children’s Centre. Through
our Drama Club we have the flexibility
to offer free programming tailored to
individual partners, and to expand
upon existing arts programming
offered by organizations that provide
after school programs. The Drama
“The quality of the productions is
extremely high. The Foster Festival
is a much needed and welcome
addition to the Niagara arts scene!”
- Mike S
Club sessions are designed to help
children and youth better understand
themselves through the power of
creative self-expression in weekly
artist-lead workshops.
Foster Festival Annual Report 2016 | Page 2